Pepper EVERYTHING! While it may seem that Caribbean foods are spicy, that’s not the case. However, there are times we do enjoy firey treats. like this Pepper Crab, I did a few days back. Like the Pepper Calamari, various Pepper Shrimp, as well as the Pepper Lobster, this one ranks high for the heat level.
You’ll Need..
2 lbs Crabs (cleaned, cut 1/2)
1 lemon (juice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups veg oil
1 1/2 tablespoons spicy stir-fry oil (chili oil)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 inch ginger (julienne)
1/2 med red bell pepper (roughly chopped)
1/2 med green bell pepper (roughly chopped)
5 cloves garlic (smashed)
5 bird’s eye peppers (chopped)
1 tablespoon light Soy sauce
1 tablespoon Gochujang (Korean pepper paste)
1 1/2 tablespoon Oyster sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (cut in 1/2)
3 scallions (chopped)
6-8 Wiri Wiri Peppers
Notes! May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. Be mindful that this PEPPER CRAB, therefore it’s supposed to be SPICY. You may tone down the heat by using less hot peppers.
Clean, cut, and wash the crabs with cool water and the lemon juice (drain). Then mix in the salt, black pepper, and cornstarch.
Heat the veg oil on med/high and fry the crabs for 3 minutes.
Remove the crab pieces and set aside.
Heat the chili oil in a wok or wide pan (I used the same wok) on a medium flame and add the onion, ginger, bell peppers, and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chopped Bird’s Eye peppers, Soy Sauce, Gochujang, Oyster Sauce, and water, and cook for another 2 minutes on low heat. * Add 1/2 teaspoon of Sesame Oil if you enjoy the flavor.
Tuck in the Scotch Bonnet pepper to further flavor the dish with heat.
Add more water if you want a more saucy dish.
Add the crab pieces to the wok and stir well to coat with everything.
Give it about 3 minutes then top with the chopped scallions and whole Wiri Wiri peppers.
Turn off the stove, mix well, and allow the residual heat to soften the scallions and peppers we added.
In the video, I explained why I used the cornstarch, the different additions of heat in the dish, and why I added the Wiri Wiri peppers after turning off the stove.
